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Posted on Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 5:58 a.m.

500 apply to live at Ypsilanti's Hamilton Crossing; half of the 144 units to be occupied by Nov. 1

By Katrease Stafford

More than 500 people have applied to live at Hamilton Crossing, where redevelopment work is expected to be complete by spring. Tenants will occupy 74 of the apartments by next month.

Joseph Tobianski | AnnArbor.com

The $16 million redevelopment project of Ypsilanti's Hamilton Crossing is set to be completed in 2013 and more than 500 people have applied to live in the 144 available units.

Ypsilanti Housing Commission Interim Executive Director Eric Temple said the volume of applicants for the project is "significant." Temple said the project will be completed by April 2013 and all units will be occupied at that time.

The property, formerly know as Parkview Apartments, will be a mix of market-rate and subsidized housing units. While the YHC owns Hamilton Crossing, a private company, Millennia Housing Management, manages the property. According to Millennia's Web site, the market rates are as follows:

A 609-square-foot, one bedroom, one bath apartment costs $653 a month.

A 780-square-foot, two bedroom, one bath townhouse costs $798 a month.

A 953-square-foot, three bedroom, one and a half bath townhouse costs $1,017 a month.

There are 68 project-based vouchers available for Hamilton Crossing that will be assigned to low-income families that will lower their rent cost. The YHC's Section 8 voucher program has been transferred to the Michigan State Housing Development Authority due to financial issues within the commission.

The YHC said the transfer will have no impact on the 68 available vouchers or the other vouchers previously managed by the commission. Including the 68 from Hamilton Crossing, the YHC managed 339 Section 8 vouchers.

A 2011 report on the Washtenaw County Office of Community and Economic Development's website shows that 6,062 subsidized housing units are available across the county.

Temple said families will be moved in during two phases, with the first 74 units being occupied by Nov. 1 of this year. The remaining 70 will become available over the next eight months. Applicants that didn't receive a spot will be placed on a waiting list.

The buildings underwent extensive renovations and have all new drywall, doors, windows, roofs and kitchens. Temple said decks and patios were added, as well as front porches.

"The site provides several play areas for kids and the community building also offers a computer lab," Temple said. "Many green features were included in the renovation including increased insulation, and Energy Star appliances."

The revitalization project has been in the works for a number of years. The Ypsilanti City Council approved the purchase of the Hamilton Street complex by the YHC in 2010.

The sale to the housing commission from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development was part of a settlement approved in May 2010 by U.S. District Judge Victoria Roberts between the Parkview Tenants Association and HUD.

The project’s developer, Chesapeake Community Advisors, along with the YHC, worked to secure grants and private investment to fund the project.

AnnArbor.com previously reported that Chesapeake received $5.7 million in an immediate HUD Up-Front grant that was to be split between the project’s two phases.

The Washtenaw County Office of Community Development contributed an additional $500,000 in grants to be spread out over the two phases.

The project’s second phase received additional funding in the form of $988,000 in federal tax credits made available through the Michigan State Housing Development Authority. Key Bank also loaned $4.2 million for construction, and phase one of the project utilized a $3.5 million Federal Housing Authority loan.

"The fact that there are 500 people is an indication of how desirable it is," Schreiber said. "I think it's a success on all fronts and I am very happy to be a small part of that. The biggest part of the success is how many different groups were involved in making this happen. It's a big success story."

Comments

sheepyd

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 9:54 p.m.

I feel bad for the Ypsilanti Police department, that area is already out of control with drugs and crime out of control. Having worked in the area I can tell you that I've seen with my own two eyes the problems that are facing the residents of South Ypsi. Kids run aroun at all hours of the night, gun shots are a familiar sound and the section 8 housing was already not being well monitored before this nightmare. In most cities if you break the rules or are found involved in criminal activity you are booted, not in Ypsilanti just keep peddling dope, beating your significant other and the government will keep footing the bill. As for EMU being involved in this disaster, what a waste of money. If you really wanted to help in that area you'd send a couple patrol cars down there, because anything short of additional police coverage is a waste of time and money. Good Luck YPD, stay safe.

Tlmk75

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 8:46 p.m.

Well there's a lot of money down the toilet! This place will be yet another eyesore in the very near future! I'm all for section 8 and low income housing, but residents need to go through extensive background checks if they want to keep this place looking nice!

Ignatz

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 6:46 p.m.

I wonder what kind of security the place will have. I saw the new A/C units sitting outside. There's lots of recyclable metal in those.

bruceae

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 5:44 p.m.

&quot;Family Self-Sufficiency program&quot; ? How does giving someone free rent and all of the other goodies make them self sufficient? Maybe while the kids from Eastern are there they can drop off the free Obama Phones, hook up the Obama Cable and drop off their Bridge Cards.

ILJ

Tue, Oct 23, 2012 : 12:24 a.m.

Jon Wax, it sounds like you are saying that anyone who cannot afford to pay market rate rent should simply be exiled to the wilderness. That's, ah ... interesting. Roaming bands of cold, hungry people with no fixed address and nothing left to lose -- that surely would be an improvement over a smattering of reduced-rent apartments on the south side of town. What could go wrong?

melissa

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 9:50 p.m.

Holy crap! Obama has phones and cable now?! Where can I sign up?! Shut up and take my money!!!

Jon Wax

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 9:48 p.m.

re: ILJ
here is a rifle, here is an axe.
alaska is that way.
lots of open land to build a home. not much crime.
good luck!
Peace

ILJ

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 7:12 p.m.

Section 8 housing is not &quot;free rent.&quot; The tenants must pay rent. The amount they pay is just reduced based upon their household income, allowing low-income people to not be homeless.
The poor can't win with people like this: Section 8 housing is too much of a handout and living for free in tents is not allowed. What are they supposed to do?
Oh, I know, we should just outlaw being poor. That will take care of the problem. People who for whatever reason cannot earn enough money to support themselves should just die, right?

EyeHeartA2

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 5:19 p.m.

Cabrini-Green
Herman Gardens
and coming soon.....
Hamilton Crossing

Geoff Larcom

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 3:32 p.m.

Note: Eastern Michigan University is excited about a key role it is playing in the Hamilton Crossing project.
Eastern and other area organizations are creating a Family Self-Sufficiency program that aims to help residents in the new development area connect more effectively with the economic, educational and health resources of the broader, vibrant community.
The Kresge Foundation is contributing a two-year grant of $250,000 to EMU to fund the self-sufficiency program, to be matched by local resources. The program will be implemented in the coming year.
Planned services will include early childhood development resources, childcare, transportation, counseling and personal development, job development, links to benefits and insurance programs, parenting skills, financial and computer literacy and personal health.
In many cases, the program will seek to connect more residents with resources already in place but not always utilized by the neighborhood.
EMU's role in the program will involve designing and conducting resident surveys, tracking and benchmarking program results, and coordinating volunteer and faculty involvement in site-related projects. EMU's B-Side youth entrepreneurship program will provide residents with low-cost computers and offer training and technical assistance.
EMU's partners in the effort include the United Way of Washtenaw County, SOS Community Services, Washtenaw County, and the Ypsilanti Housing Commission.
Note: Geoff Larcom is executive director of media relations at EMU.

lumberg48108

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 5:02 p.m.

As many have stated, time will tell how this plays out but the track record of such projects being a success is not good. I applaud EMU's role but this is basically the same-ole project that has been done for decades and never ends with the intent of how it was created ...
why do we insist on doing the same things over and over and expect a different outcome?

Ryan

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 4:47 p.m.

Geoff, please do not take my pessimism above as a wish for this project to fail. I sincerely hope you succeed. Good luck. You will need it.

sesomai

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 1:41 p.m.

I've watched the changes to this place over the past year or so, and have been very impressed with how the property has done a 180 so quickly. It looks lovely now. Congratulations to the YHC!

nekm1

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 1:33 p.m.

No &quot;skin in the game&quot;, unfortunately means this project will look like most public housing projects in very little time. If you don't work for it, you don't take care of it. Time will tell, again, as it has in the past. Sorry, but the truth hurts.

Dog Guy

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 1:20 p.m.

Thank you for the &quot;before&quot; photo of Hamilton Crossing.

EOS

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 12:17 p.m.

The same people who sit on the Ypsilanti housing commission board of directors sit on the board for Hamilton Crossing.
It looks like the mayor wants to destroy this project just like he destroyed public housing.

bruceae

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 12:16 p.m.

Enjoy the view now. In less than 3 years it will be trashed. So there's a waiting list to get in. Let me guess you didn't drug test anyone you just handed them the keys?

djacks24

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 9:28 p.m.

There really needs to be some extensive screening of applicants just like applying for anything else, whether it be section 8 or paying.

Ryan

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 11:58 a.m.

That whole area was crack city back in the 80's and 90's when it was completely Section 8 housing. I hope the developers know what they are doing mixing paying residents with so many Section 8 residents. I know the PC police won't like this statement but the Section8/paying resident mix hasn't worked very well in any of the other places we've tried it: Lake in the Woods got rid of most of their Section 8 after years of high crime, Danbury Green and Sycamore Meadows are a complete mess, I read about a lot of shootings and robberies in those mixed Section 8/EMU Student housing off of Leforge, the list keeps going.
Part of the reason that this section of town has seen a decrease in crime and is &quot;improving the surrounding neighborhood&quot;, according to Mayor Screiber anyway, is that Parkview (as this place was formerly known) was shut down and all the Section 8 moved elsewhere. Don't believe me? Look up what year Parkview closed down and when the crime in the area really went down; I think the results will be illuminating. I used to get my haircut weekly at Cannon's barber shop across from old Parkview and every week I would get offered heroin, crack, bootleg CD's, &quot;designer&quot; sunglasses, etc.. all while walking to my car and all sold out of the trunk of someone else's car. And now they want to bring Section 8 back to the area. WoooHooo!

djacks24

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 9:27 p.m.

Great points!
Also at those prices, the paying folks could get a mortgage on a decent house and be paying towards ownership someday. At least when you are paying that kind of money, you want to make sure you are in a relatively safe neighborhood.

missmisery

Mon, Oct 22, 2012 : 10:57 a.m.

I'm glad to hear that the problems with the YHC will not affect the vouchers that applicants may receive. This area, formerly an eyesore for decades, now looks fantastic. It looks like the community pulled together and got this right! Kudos!